Xavier Prou, which is his real name and we can now say it loud and clear because his identity was revealed back in 1991, continues to influence many street artists, and to amaze us all to this day. Rats were inspirational to him because they are, like he said himself, the only free animals in the city, but they also spread the plague rapidly, and it is something he finds analogous to street art. Parisians will probably not forget the giant rat that he painted in their city, which had special symbolic meaning for Blek le Rat. His pseudonym has a lot to do with the first motive he happened to depict on the streets, and that was, obviously, a rat. Blek le Rat is the French pioneer of stencil art, a street art master whose work was both influenced by the New York graffiti style and picturesque architecture of Paris. And when being arrested for art doesn’t stop one from finding the ways to make it, you know that nothing is going to stop them. 300+ illustrations, 290 in color.When Banksysays that his art originates in someone else’s, he must be talking about an icon.

The book features photographs of hundreds of Blek's works and an in-depth exploration of the method and meaning behind his stencils and posters, as well as a look at the evolution of urban art from New York, Paris, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires to London, Taipei, Naples, and Berlin. Street artist Blek le Rat is revered and acknowledged by the international graffiti community, and his work has influenced CD design, advertising, and graphics, as well as the work of urban artists around the world.įrom small, simple stencils to complex multimedia events, Blek's distinctive art is showcased here for the first time, demonstrating the development of his technique and creativity over two decades, from his unique images of Lady Diana and kidnapped journalist Florence Aubenas to his iconic silhouette of a rat. A unique view of the life and work of one of the most elusive yet most applauded and influential figures in the world of street art from the past twenty years.

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